Abstract

Extracted from text ... 34 THE QUALITY EDGE October 2006
A lean approach to health care
lean production
A quiet revolution is beginning that could have a profound effect on hospital
management and the future of patient care. As Andrew Scotchmer
discovers, hospitals are taking some lean lessons from Toyota.
Toyota's production system or 'lean' as it has become
known in the West, needs little introduction. Beginning
in the Toyota plants of the 1950s, today it is a method
that has proven itself in manufacturing industries and
service sectors worldwide.
In a nutshell, it involves the shortening of lead time by
removing all unnecessary, ..